Letter: Half-baked plan

To the editor:

A few observations on the proposed location for police station:

  1. It typically takes longer to get from the intersection of Princeton and Iowa to 23rd and Haskell than it does from 23rd and Haskell to Olathe.

  2. The East Lawrence exit from the turnpike puts you at the northeast outskirts of the city limits.

  3. Is the K-10 exit even within the city limits?

The proposed location is basically at the northern edge of the residential population of the city — only thing farther north is the industrial park. Pull up a city map or make the drive across town from the proposed location. I think it will become evident that this is not the best location. I predict that in 5-10 years we’ll be hearing the phrase “Oh, we made a mistake.” We have already heard it’s not the ideal solution.

Do the current police facilities need help? Of this I have little doubt. I propose two ideas as we work towards a solution: Come up with a location that better serves the entire community and the needs of the police department, and it’s time to vote in a few new commissioners.

The attempt by some Commissioners to “buy” votes by giving away taxpayer property is reprehensible. These guys revealed their true personal objectives early on when they told us the voters are not capable of making an intelligent or informed decision. That’s not the kind of leadership this town needs.

Twenty-six million dollars is too much money for a half-baked solution.